A summary of the findings of the Ram Pradhan committee were presented to the Assembly today after the Congress-NCP government did a last-minute turnaround and decided not to table the entire report.

The summary was presented as part of the government’s “Action to be Taken Report,” which responds to the 26 key points raised by the inquiry panel formed at the end of December. Besides Pradhan, a former governor and Union Home Secretary, the panel included V Balachandran, a retired IPS officer who served in the Research & Analysis Wing (RAW).

The panel has sought to deflect criticism of the

authorities by bluntly accusing the managements of the Taj and Oberoi-Trident hotels of not heeding to

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26/11 panel: Gafoor stained, rest whitewash

security advisories, laying the responsibility for coastal security at the doors of the Navy and the Coast Guard and finding fault with everything Gafoor did — or didn’t — do during the first night of the terror attack.

The managements of the Taj and Oberoi did not implement the security advice given by the DCP of the area and seek increased police security after intelligence tip-offs said the two hotels — as well as the World Trade Centre in the neighbourhood — could be targeted by terrorists, the panel said. It also feels that it is impossible for Mumbai or Maharashtra police to be responsible for coastal security.

“The panel has found that the Mumbai Police Commissioner did not take the lead in handling the situation. During the entire operation he was stationed at one spot near Trident hotel,” it says about Gafoor.

“This created an impression among the public that the police commissionerate could not handle the operation efficiently. Several police officers have told us that the commissioner did not guide them or did not ask or enquire about anything from them. If the commissioner would have contacted officers on wireless or mobile phone it would have boosted team spirit, several officers feel. We have come to the conclusion that Mr Hassan Gafoor lacks leadership qualities.”

The panel says that there was no specific intelligence inputs about the threat from Central agencies and that there are a multiplicity of agencies to co-ordinate and act on intelligence inputs, yet, the existing inadequate machinery to work on it acted to the best of its ability. Force deployment procedures were not followed, policemen didn’t have access to the best weapons or adequate ammunition, the force is overburdened at the best of times, yet young officers did good work while the team leader failed.

However, the Maharashtra government has rejected some of the blunt observations made by the panel and defended Gafoor, even though it pre-empted the criticism against him and moved him out of the post by promoting him over the weekend. “We cannot accept the opinion of the panel because it has said that the Mumbai Police has discharged its duties in a proper manner. If so, how could their leader have been unsuccessful?” the government has countered.

To the panel’s observation that “the commissioner of police should have taken control of the control room,” and that “this would have prevented overlapping,” the government said: “The panel does not specify the instances of overlap. The remarks from the commissioner of police have not been taken on record and the commissioner was stationed at the regional control room created for the purpose. Till the end, he was in contact with different units and was controlling them.”

A spokesperson for the Taj Group also rejected the panel’s observations. “We continually review our security position on the basis of incoming intelligence and constantly liaise with all relevant security authorities to maintain appropriate levels of readiness and maintain a position of high security preparedness. Taj has always acted immediately on any security recommendations given to it by security forces,” the spokesperson told The Indian Express. Officials at The Oberoi and Trident did not respond to requests for comment.

Maharashtra Home Minister Jayant Patil said that the government had decided against making the full-report public as it contains “certain things that are highly confidential in nature” and pointed out that the government had already initiated action on the recommendations of the panel on improving the security system.

“We should keep in mind that the trial of Kasab is in progress and we don’t want to do anything that will affect the trial. The report includes some information that can’t be made public for security reasons. We have taken action according to the committee’s recommendations and tabled the ATR,” added Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

But the last-minute change of heart could not stop Opposition parties from ascribing political motives behind the decision. They said the government did not seem to want to advertise its faults in the last session of the assembly before assembly polls — which are due in about four months’ time — and give the opposition ammunition to attack it.

(with inputs from Rakshit Sonawane)